Screen printing, also known as silk screen printing, has been around for hundreds of years. It is used to place an image or deposit material on a substrate in a desired pattern or shape. Screen printing machines use a tensioned screen of fabric or mesh mounted on a supporting frame. Printing an image typically involves spreading a photosensitive film on the tensioned screen and creating a “mask” or “resist” on all the areas of the screen that are to prevent the flow of ink, dyes or other fluid media onto the substrate being printed. A squeegee then forces ink, dyes, or other fluid media through the open areas of the screen onto the substrate to form an image on the substrate.
A screen printing frame and mesh system typically consists of a rigid frame made of wood, metal, or plastic. As will be discussed below, once the frame is constructed, a fabric or mesh screen is then stretched by hand or by mechanical means over the frame, and adhered to the frame using adhesives, staples, tacks, rope pounded into grooves in the frame, or through channels and locks to the frame to secure the tensioned screen to the frame. Such frames are often referred to as “stretch and glue” frames. Screen printing frames have also been produced in which a screen is first fastened to a frame, and by rolling, telescoping, or expanding the sides of the frame, the fabric is stretched over the frame. Locking mechanisms are then used to secure the frame and screen at the desired tension.
A screen printing frame provides both a stable platform for holding a stretched screen, and a device that can be held in place during the printing process. Traditionally, there are three basic steps to create a screen frame that is ready for imaging. The first is to manufacture the frame itself. The second is to attach the screen material to the frame at a desired tension. The third is to place the emulsion or “mask” onto the screen in preparation for an image to be created on it. In the prior art, these three tasks are all separate and distinct from each other, and traditionally take place in different locations.
In the case of wooden frames, for example, to manufacture the frame requires cutting the wood to size, with four corner miters, joints, or corner connectors that are stapled, inserted, or glued to create a finished frame ready for attaching the screen. In the case of metal frames, the metal needs to be cut to the desired size, and welded, bonded, finish ground, and connected at the corners to form the finished frame. In the case of plastic frames, a heavy duty metal or high strength plastic closed mold must be made to withstand the strong injection force necessary to inject molten plastic into the mold cavity and thereby obtain the desired frame shape. These molds are very expensive to create, requiring many hours of machining in addition to the raw cost of the mold material itself. Regardless of material of construction, the frames are taken from their place of manufacture and moved to the next stage in the process, either within the facility in the case of a frame manufacturer that provides pre-stretched frames, or to a frame distributor to stretch and apply the screen for a customer. Frames may also be taken directly to the final customer who desires to stretch and apply the screen for themselves.
The process of manufacturing a frame transporting the frame as needed, and attaching a screen to the frame requires substantial handling, is burdensome, and can be expensive. What is needed is a method and system for manufacturing a screen printing frame in which the frame is manufactured and the screen adhered to the frame at the same time, thus requiring less handling and producing a screen printing frame at a much lower cost. The present invention is directed to addressing this need and other shortcomings that exist in the prior art.